TOKYO (Reuters) - The IMF said the global economic slowdown is worsening as it cut its growth forecasts for the second time since April and warned U.S. and European policymakers that failure to fix their economic ills would prolong the slump.

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde speaks at the Global Investment Conference 2012 in London July 26, 2012. REUTERS/Neil Hall

Global growth in advanced economies is too weak to bring down unemployment and what little momentum exists is coming primarily from central banks, the International Monetary Fund said in its World Economic Outlook, released ahead of its twice-yearly meeting, which will be held in Tokyo later this week.

"A key issue is whether the global economy is just hitting another bout of turbulence in what was always expected to be a slow and bumpy recovery or whether the current slowdown has a more lasting component," it said.

"The answer depends on whether European and U.S. policymakers deal proactively with their major short-term economic challenges."

Ahead of the Tokyo meeting, policymakers have flagged the U.S. "fiscal cliff" -- government spending cuts and tax raises due to take affect early in 2013 -- and resolving the euro area's debt crisis as the top issues facing the global economy.

The IMF forecast in its latest health check on the world economy that global output in 2012 would grow just 3.3 percent, down from a July estimate of 3.5 percent.

That would make this the slowest year of growth since 2009 when the world was struggling to pull out of the global financial crisis. It predicted only a modest pickup next year to 3.6 percent, below its July estimate of 3.9 percent.

It projected U.S. growth would be a little more than 2 percent this year and next, but forecast a contraction in the euro area this year by 0.4 percent and modest growth in 2013 of 0.2 percent.

Emerging markets are still expected to grow four times as fast as advanced economies, but the IMF took a sharp knife to its estimates for India and Brazil, with the latter now seen growing slower than the United States this year.

It also cut its expectations for China in 2012 and 2013 but warned against being overly pessimistic about the prospects of these economies, which were major engines of growth in the global financial crisis.

"Let me be clear. We do not see these developments as signs of a hard landing in any of these countries," IMF Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard said at a briefing, referring to China, India and Brazil.

MORE AT WORK

The IMF said "familiar" forces were dragging down advanced economy growth: fiscal consolidation and a still-weak financial system, the same problems that have plagued the world since the global financial crisis exploded in 2008.

"More seems to be at work, however, than these mechanical forces - namely, a general feeling of uncertainty," Blanchard said in a commentary on the forecasts.

Measures of risk and uncertainty, such as the VIX volatility gauge in the United States, remain at low levels, Blanchard pointed out, which makes it difficult to assess the nature of the uncertainty.

"Worries about the ability of European policymakers to control the euro crisis and worries about the failure to date of U.S. policymakers to agree on a fiscal plan surely play an important role, but one that is hard to nail down," Blanchard said.

Concerns about the health of the global economy and corporate earnings prospects have weighed on financial markets. World shares as measured by the MSCI world equity index fell 0.7 percent on Monday. The index was flat in Asia on Tuesday.

S&P 500 earnings for the third quarter are forecast to have fallen more than 2 percent from the year-earlier period, which would be the first decline in three years, Thomson Reuters data shows.

The IMF said financial conditions are likely to remain "very fragile" over the near term because repairing euro zone problems will take time and there are concerns about how the U.S. economy will cope with the expected spending cuts and tax increases.

The "urgent policy priorities" for the United States should include avoiding the fiscal cliff, which the IMF said at the extreme would amount to a fiscal withdrawal of more than 4 percent of GDP in 2013, and economic growth would stall.

"Both sides of the political isle (should) signal that they are willing to compromise and that they're willing to get this done ... that could help lower the level of uncertainty that is affecting U.S. investors and consumers," IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

Resolving the euro area crisis would require progress in adopting and implementing the various measures discussed, including banking and fiscal union, the IMF report said.

"If the complex puzzle can be rapidly completed, one can reasonably hope that the worst might be behind us," Blanchard said.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Isolated North Korea has rockets that can hit the U.S. mainland, it said on Tuesday, two days after South Korea struck a deal with the United States to extend the range of its ballistic missiles.

North and South Korea have been technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and regional powers have for years been trying to rein in the North's nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea is believed to be developing a long-range missile with a range of 6,700 km (4,160) miles) or more aimed at hitting the United States, but two recent rocket tests both failed.

Its neighbours fear the North is using rocket launches to perfect technology to build a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the United States.

North Korea's National Defence Commission said in a statement that the North was prepared to counter any U.S. military threats, its KCNA news agency said.

"We do not hide (the fact) that the revolutionary armed forces ... including the strategic rocket forces are keeping within the scope of strike not only the bases of the puppet forces and the U.S. imperialist aggression forces' bases in the inviolable land of Korea, but also Japan, Guam and the U.S. mainland," KCNA said.

South Korea on Sunday unveiled an agreement with the United States that extends the range of its ballistic missiles by more than twice its current limit to 800 km (497 miles) as a deterrent against the North.

North Korea is under heavy U.N. sanctions that have cut off its previously lucrative arms trade and further isolated the state after its failed 2009 missile test drew sharp rebukes, even from its one major ally, China.

The United States has denied it has any intention to strike North Korea. It has more than 20,000 troops stationed in the South in defence of its ally against the North.

In April, under its new leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea again launched a rocket that flew just a few minutes covering a little over 100 km (60 miles) before blowing up over the sea between South Korea and China.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The IMF cut its global growth forecast on Tuesday for the second time since April and warned U.S. and European policymakers that failure to fix their economic ills would prolong the slump.

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde speaks at the Global Investment Conference 2012 in London July 26, 2012. REUTERS/Neil Hall

Global growth is too weak to bring down unemployment and what little momentum exists is coming primarily from central banks, the International Monetary Fund said in its World Economic Outlook, released ahead of its twice-yearly meeting, which will be held in Tokyo later this week.

"A key issue is whether the global economy is just hitting another bout of turbulence in what was always expected to be a slow and bumpy recovery or whether the current slowdown has a more lasting component," it said.

"The answer depends on whether European and U.S. policymakers deal proactively with their major short-term economic challenges."

For 2012, the IMF now expects global output to grow just 3.3 percent, down from its July estimate of 3.5 percent, making it the slowest year of growth since 2009. It predicted only a modest pickup next year to 3.6 percent, below its July estimate of 3.9 percent.

Emerging markets are still expected to grow four times as fast as advanced economies, but the IMF took a sharp knife to its estimates for India and Brazil, with the latter now seen growing slower than the United States this year.

The IMF said "familiar" forces were dragging down advanced economy growth: fiscal consolidation and a still-weak financial system, the same problems that have plagued the world since the global financial crisis exploded in 2008.

"More seems to be at work, however, than these mechanical forces - namely, a general feeling of uncertainty," IMF Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard said.

Measures of risk and uncertainty, such as the VIX volatility gauge in the United States, remain at low levels, Blanchard pointed out, which makes it difficult to assess the nature of the uncertainty. Blanchard described it as "more Knightian in nature," referring to a term for risk that is impossible to measure, named after economist Frank Knight.

"Worries about the ability of European policymakers to control the euro crisis and worries about the failure to date of U.S. policymakers to agree on a fiscal plan surely play an important role, but one that is hard to nail down," Blanchard said.

The IMF said financial conditions are likely to remain "very fragile" over the near term because repairing euro zone problems will take time and there are concerns about how the U.S. economy will cope with the expected expiry of tax cuts early next year.

For the United States, the IMF said its "urgent policy priorities" should include avoiding a so-called "fiscal cliff" from the expected tax increases and spending cuts, raising the government borrowing limit, and agreeing on a credible plan to reduce the deficit.

It said the fiscal cliff at the extreme would amount to a fiscal withdrawal of more than 4 percent of GDP in 2013, and economic growth would stall.

In the euro area, it said resolving the crisis was the highest priority, and that would require progress toward banking and fiscal union.

"If uncertainty is indeed behind the current slowdown, and if the adoption and implementation of these measures decrease uncertainty, things may turn out better than our forecasts, not only in Europe, but also for the rest of the world," Blanchard said. "I, for once, would be happy if our baseline forecasts turn out to be inaccurate - in this case, too pessimistic."

Korean reality show Running Man is a big hit in the Asian region. But what do the regular cast members do when they are not running?

YOU might have seen some excited individuals running around KLCC in the heart of Kuala Lumpur not too long ago. No, it was not a sale they were after. They probably just did not get the memo – South Korean reality show Running Man was not shooting in Malaysia.

For weeks, the Net was abuzz with news that the hit show would have a "secret" filming in Kuala Lumpur. Alas, it turned out to be a mistake by an employee at a TV station.

The online fever is only testament to the popularity of the reality show that has often been described as "extreme hide-and-seek meets The Amazing Race".

For those who have yet to become fans of the series, this heady "urban action variety show" pits its seven celebrity hosts against each other, or different stars from the Korean entertainment scene, in various challenging but always wacky race missions every week. To eliminate an opponent before the finish line, they have to tear off his or her nametag.

More telling is the excitement of Malaysian fans to meet the hosts – and not the possible K-megastar guests – when the rumour broke out.

But then again, it is not difficult to see why there is so much love for the Running Man regulars – music stars Gary Kang, Ha Dong-hoon and Kim Jong-kook, actors Lee Kwang-soo and Song Ji-hyo, broadcaster Ji Suk-jin and comedian Yoo Jae-suk.

Watching the naturalness of the co-hosts in their camaraderie – and their scheming, cheating, lying, betraying and sometimes, even biting moments - while gunning for the grand prize does make one wonder: How real is this reality show?

Has the "battle" ever continued off camera?

Of course, jests Dong-hoon, better known as HaHa.

"Whether or not the camera is rolling, we are always suspicious of each other and wondering, 'You're going to betray us, right?'"

Their close-knit relationship on screen is very real though, shares HaHa, and he and his co-stars meet regularly outside the show.

"Even if there isn't filming, we'll meet to exchange ideas, hang out, catch up with one another, and even exercise together."

In fact, says HaHa who has been with the show since it started in 2010, Running Man is almost like a second family to him. Best known for his role in the sitcom Nonstop, HaHa was recruited to be one of the regular racers after he completed his military service.

"The Running Man members are very close as we've been working together very often since we were younger. I've been working with Jae-suk for a really long time, and I've known Jong-kook for 14 years. I've also been close with Gary even before we were in the show. Everyone is close and gets along like a real family."

But if there is anyone among his fellow Runners that he will not mind making an enemy of, it is Jong-kook, jokes HaHa.

"I always complain to the producers, 'Give a handicap to Kim Jong-kook. Please control his strength'. I would love to win the final mission at least once.

"Honestly, even up against three fit and able-bodied men, he's the 'Hulk'! When he's entirely immersed in filming, he's really scary. He's really frightening."

Fans would know that the German-born 33-year-old recording artiste, actor and stand-up comedian is not short of tricks up his sleeve when it comes to winning the race.

He may often be picked on by his co-hosts because of his height (1.7m) and his close resemblance to Pororo, the Little Penguin cartoon character (which has earned him the nickname Haroro), but HaHa is the top trickster of the show.

Revelling in his mischief making, he rattles on proudly, "The image I have always had since I was younger is that of a troublemaker. Previously I always welcomed guests such as Haroro, and always tried to be the last love of the female guests. Whenever there is conflict, I'm also always a part of it. The same goes for betrayals."

However, he finds playing the "spy" on Running Man extremely nerve-wracking.

"If we're found out right at the beginning, the flow of the whole shoot can be disrupted. As such, the role of the 'spy' is actually very burdensome. As a spy, we have to be able to react according to the circumstances or the whole episode can be messed up."

Another nerve-wracking experience he says is having K-pop idols on the show.

"While having idols would be good, I'm really worried that they may get injured during filming."

Personally, he would like to invite action stars or international athletes to Running Man such as Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt or Hollywood action star Tom Cruise, and Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau.

"Just thinking about Tom Cruise jumping down from the building on a wire and tearing off our nametags makes me excited and my heart race."

Other dream guests? Jackie Chan and the Expendables, he raves.

"If the actors from The Expendables like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and even Jason Statham came, it would be a big hit."

Of course, it is a different story when it comes to female idols for the Running Man resident ladies' man, who names Girls' Generation as a favourite.

"When Girls' Generation came as guests, I was really happy. Everyone was so happy that we were very sad when they left. We still felt the sorrow even a week later."

Other favourites are f(x) and Miss A's Suzy.

"The most memorable one for me, since I'm a Suzy fan, would be when we had a couple game and linked arms. It was interesting and I also came in first in that episode which made it even more memorable," he reminisces.

Still, he would have to rid himself of the playboy image soon with his impending marriage to singer Byul next month.

When asked if it is difficult to balance filming Running Man and planning a wedding, he admits that no wedding preparations have been done.

"We're still looking for a location. Really, nothing has been fixed at all."

While he is at a loss to pick a favourite episode or the most challenging opponent, HaHa nominates actor Choi Min-soo (The Legend and My Wife Is A Gangster 3) as the scariest.

"Our eternally tough guy, the icon of toughness, Choi Min-soo, was entirely immersed in filming and was overflowing with charisma, so it was a scary memory for me."

This does not stop him from dreaming of facing off with other "scary" tough guys like Mike Tyson and Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes Chu Sung-hoon, Kim Dong-yeon and Jung Chang-sun.

HaHa shares that he has no plans in the near future for another sitcom but he would like to do more music.

"I started off as a rapper and love rap but right now, Bob Marley is my main influence. Reggae has become one of the charms of my life, and given me the strength to stand on stage again."

He laments the lack of respect that reggae is getting from South Korea and the rest of Asia and hopes to change it with a tour around the region with his friend, Korean reggae star Skull, one day.

"Skull is a good friend of mine. His song reached third place on the Billboard charts. If there's a chance, I would love to hold reggae party performances around Asia with him, especially to the countries that love reggae."

He feels that this is something that would have not even been conceivable without the growing influence of Hallyu and the popularity of Running Man.

"With the growing influence of Hallyu, I've also been able to receive support from South-East Asian fans. I'm also really thankful to Running Man. It was my birthday on Aug 28, and many fans sent presents to my restaurant," he says, thanking fans for his birthday surprises.

Although the tight schedule of Running Man means he is not able to go on vacations, he hopes to keep on running on the show a while longer.

"I never expected so many people (especially those from South-East Asia) to love us and our programmme. I wish I could visit every country to meet all of you, but there are just too many," HaHa adds.

Here is a shortlist of awesome female TV characters that are a source of inspiration and joy.

IN Nikita, Maggie Q kicks some serious a%#$ as the title character: an assassin who escapes from the Division (a secret government-funded organisation that recruited her and other young people with troubled backgrounds to work as spies/assassins) and goes rogue.

Nikita then uses the training she received to get back at the Division, foiling their operations with the ultimate aim of bringing them down. She is awesome – strong, ruthless, intense. Her action sequences are awesome too – Q does her own stunts. She is beautiful and fierce. After each episode, I kinda want to be like her. And it wouldn't hurt to look like her either. Hot dang, the girl's got it.

Nikita isn't an anomaly in TV-land. Strong women flourish on TV. Remember Buffy, the vampire slayer? Xena, the warrior princess? (Yes, I am serious). And Jaime Sommers, the bionic woman (played by Lindsay Wagner in the 1970s series)? Sure, Jaime came after The Six Million Dollar Man, but boy, was she a hero from my past.

Yeah, TV is a great place to be in if you're a woman, which is why more and more big screen stars – Kyra Sedgewick, Glenn Close, Madeline Stowe, to name a few – are turning to TV for meatier, more nuanced roles.

In The Good Wife, three of the show's main characters are women: Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), Kalinda Sharma (Archie Punjabi) and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). They're all deeply flawed and vulnerable in different ways, but they certainly drive the plot and they're definitely the most compelling characters in the legal drama.

Quite frankly, the men around them – Peter Florrick, Alicia's philandering husband, Will Gardner, Diane's partner in the law firm and Alicia's boss (and incidentally former boyfriend) and Cary Argos, a young, ambitious lawyer – pale in comparison. They're not bad by any means, they're just outshined by their co-stars.

Mariska Hargitay's character Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is another woman to behold. Both strong and vulnerable, Olivia fights to get sexual offenders off the streets while at the same time battling her own demons: she is the child of rape (her mother got pregnant after being raped), who was subsequently abused by her alcoholic mother. More often than not, her unresolved issues come to surface as she works on cases that hit close to home. But Benson uses her painful past to fuel her work. She will not be brought down ... and I mean this literally. The show is in its 14th season for heaven's sake!

Not all the leading women on TV are cops, assassins, vampire slayers or legal eagles. There's Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the head writer for the fictitious comedy sketch show on 30 Rock. Liz makes being a geek look so good. She's confident, sassy, funny, strange, awkward and an independent single woman who isn't hung up about relationships. She isn't your typical role model and yet, women want to be her (or maybe we just want to be Tina Fey?).

Let's talk Mad Men. Despite it being set in a male-dominated world of advertising in the 1960s, I think the women outshine the men on the show. Sure, the dudes are powerful, but they're all philandering, whiny louses trapped by their own stereotypes. They wheel and deal, booze all day long and sleep around a lot. Big deal. It's only because they're unhappy with themselves. I'd much rather be Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss), the seemingly innocent but incredibly ambitious woman who started off as ad-man Don Draper's secretary but worked her way to becoming the agency's first female writer. Or even Betty Draper (January Jones) who got sick of her husband's cheating and left him (after having an affair herself).

The list of women who've made it on TV is endless (The Game Of Thrones has a few fine examples, Glen Close's ruthless character Patty Hews on Damages is a force to reckon with, Anna Torv's seriously cool character Olivia Dunham on Fringe), but I have a word-count to keep so I will end with one of my current favourites: the vice president of the United States, Selina Meyer played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep. She's pretty awesome. —SI

Women on TV – there have been so many that I really enjoyed watching. From Morticia Addams (Carolyn Jones on The Addams Family) and Jaime Somers (Lindsay Wagner in Bionic Woman) whom I grew up in awe of to Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen in Murphy Brown) and modern day girls, America Ferrera and Becki Newton (Betty and Amanda on Ugly Betty), even super soldier Jessica Alba (Dark Angel) or double agent Jennifer Garner (Sydney Bristow in Alias).

The women are usually beautiful and tough cookies – take Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly on Lost) and Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere on Heroes), so there's little chance you won't love them. And even when they are cartoon characters like Lisa Simpson, they're pretty smart and sassy.

If I had to choose some favourites – and this is highly subjective and will probably change every month depending on how the stars are aligned and what my mood is like – I'd have to go with Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgewick on The Closer).

A tough-as-nails detective, Brenda Leigh is able to close all her cases before they even reach a courtroom. She's very smart, she earned the respect of her team without bending backwards to appease them, she has a secret stash of chocolates and biscuits in her desk drawers, she fell in love with and got married to the handsomest FBI agent in town, she has a cat ... what's not to like about this character?

I secretly think I'm Brenda Leigh, but the closest I get to being her is maybe the emergency chocolate I keep in my drawer. And, yeah, I've been contemplating adopting a kitten.

No.2 on my list is world's away from my first choice. Joy Turner of My Name Is Earl is as white trash as one can get, and yet I find myself immensely enamoured by her.

Portrayed by Jaime Pressly, Joy has a motor mouth and gets some of the best lines on the show. The ex-wife of Earl and now married to Crabman and living in a camper van, Joy brings a ray of light to an already laugh-out-loud series, and she's as strong as a woman can be, to have put up with all the men on that show.

I'm trying to narrow down which women I like in space, and I can think of two that I really wanted to be at some point. Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) from Battlestar Galactica, and Inara Serra from Firefly. I wanted to be Kara Thrace (that's Starbuck's real name) because well, she sure can fly a viper, and I wanted to be Inara because she had Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) wrapped around her finger, didn't she? (My amorous feelings towards Nathan Fillion are not a national secret. I even follow him on Twitter, for crying out loud).

My favourite teenager on TV was Veronica Mars. I followed the series religiously and fell in love with Kristen Bell's character and all her boyfriends, too. I so wanted to be a private investigator like her in my younger days. Favourite lawyer? Well, it'd have to be Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart) simply because of the awesome mini skirts.

There's a string of strong mums that I grew up watching whom I looked up to – Caroline Ingalls (Karen Grassle in Little House On The Prairie), Sarah Connor (Lena Headey in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and even Lois Griffin in The Family Guy – they may have been kooky and unorthodox in their parenting skills, but they sure won my vote as unforgettable women on TV. — AMC

NEW YORK: After failing to win a match at the Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods privately apologized to four first-time members of the American side after their defeat by Europe, according to a Golf Channel report Monday.

Tim Rosaforte, a contributor to the television network, said on a morning show on the Golf Channel that Woods apologized for not earning enough points to teammates Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley.

Rosaforte said he learned of the gathering from Snedeker at a charity fundraising event in Memphis, Tennessee.

"Tiger got all the rookies in a room, closed the door and personally apologized to everyone for not doing more, for not getting the points he needed to get to get a US victory," Rosaforte said.

"For people who don't think Woods really cares, whenever that turn or that pivot occurred in his career, it has fully turned."

Woods went 0-3 with a halved match against Italy's Francesco Molinari after Europe had already clinched retaining the Cup, making the final count 14 1/2-13 1/2 for Europe after a last-day European fightback at Medinah on September 30.

Woods, 13-17-3 in Ryder Cup matches, played on only one winning Ryder Cup side, that being the American squad that made a similar last-day rally to win in 1999 at Brookline, Massachusetts. - AFP

PEBBLE BEACH, California: Ken Venturi, the 1964 US Open champion who spent 35 years as a US television golf commentator, was named on Monday as a 2013 inductee to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Venturi, who was selected in the lifetime achievement category, will join previously elected Fred Couples at enshrinement ceremonies May 6 at the Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, ahead of the US PGA Players Championship.

"The greatest reward in life is to be remembered, and I thank the World Golf Hall of Fame for remembering me," Venturi said. "It's the dream of a lifetime."

Venturi, 81, won 14 US PGA titles but his enduring feat came in 1964 at Congressional Country Club just outside Washington, where he overcame severe dehydration in sweltering temperatures to claim his only major title.

"Ken Venturi's victory in the 1964 US Open remains one of the greatest moments in the championship's 112-year history," US Golf Association executive director Mike Davis said.

"His ability to overcome extremely difficult conditions at Congressional personifies the perseverance, determination and execution required to be a US Open champion."

Venturi was forced off the course by carpal tunnel syndrome and in 1968 he joined CBS television and spent 35 years in the commentary booth with a triumphant stint in 2000 as the US Presidents Cup team captain. - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips slipped in early trade on Tuesday, with Hong Leong Bank and AmBank among the major decliners in razor thin trade while Sime Darby also fell.

At 9.09am, the FBM KLCI fell 0.42 of a point to 1,659.80. Turnover was 59.76 million shares valued at RM67.21mil. There were 75 gainers, 54 losers and 112 counters unchanged.

Bloomberg reported Asian stocks dropped, with the regional benchmark index heading for its second day of decline, after the International Monetary Fund cut its global growth forecasts as its member countries convene in Tokyo this week.

At Bursa Malaysia, MAHB fell the most, down 53 sen to RM5.40 with 500 shares done while PetDag lost 30 sen to RM22.10 and Pharmaniaga eight sen to RM7.42 while MMC shed six sen to RM2.62.

HLBank fell 22 sen to RM13.72 with 400 shares done while AmBank shed 10 sen to RM6.31 with 200 units done and RHB Cap lost three sen to RM7.23. However, Maybank gained six sen to RM9 after declining the previous day.

Heavyweight conglomerate Sime Darby lost five sen to RM9.61 but United Plantations rose 56 sen to RM25.28 with 100 shares done.

Latexx surged 48 sen to RM2.27, near its takeover price of RM2.30 with 14,76 million shares done while the warrants added 39 sen to RM1.69. Supermax gained seven sen to RM2.11.

SINGAPORE: The World Bank has slashed its 2012 growth forecast for developing countries in East Asia and the Pacific to 7.2%, dragged down by China's worst economic performance in 13 years.

It said China's economy would grow just 7.7% this year, down from 9.3% in 2011 and its slowest rate since 1999, but added that stimulus measures would help push it back above the crucial 8% mark in 2013.

The 2012 gross domestic product (GDP) projections in a report called the East Asia and Pacific Data Monitor were down from a May forecast of 7.6% growth in the region and 8.2% in China.

The report comes as the Washington-based World Bank and International Monetary Fund prepare to hold their annual meetings at the end of the week. The Group of Seven advanced economies will also meet to discuss the global outlook.

Despite the downgraded numbers, Bert Hofman, the World Bank chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific, said: "Our main forecast is still that China will have a soft landing."

He also told journalists in Singapore yesterday that while there was a risk of a major slowdown, "we think it's small, not least because of the policy space that the authorities still have and the likelihood that they will indeed use it.

"They have enough fiscal space, they still have some monetary space so they could revamp the economy ... if and when needed."

Hofman noted that China was being hit by a "double whammy" of an export slowdown and softer domestic demand.

In East Asia and the Pacific, regional growth would be the slowest since 2001, even worse than at the peak of the global financial crisis in 2009, Hofman said.

The bank, however, said this should rebound to 7.6% in 2013, driven by domestic demand. But it warned that a worsening of the eurozone debt crisis, problems in the United States and a further slowdown in China were major risks.

Hofman said East Asia and the Pacific's growth rates were "still the envy of many in the developed world" and its share of the world economy had tripled in two decades to nearly 18% of global output.

LAST week, I had the pleasure of spending time with Nobuyuki Idei, the former chairman and CEO of Sony Corp.

Idei-san shared with me some of his sadness in seeing Japan go through the numerous issues triggered by the tsunami. A few hours later, I met a friend who complained about how horrible his job was. The next day, I heard the plight of a pilot who was jobless due to the current oversupply of pilots in the country. Next up was a number of university students who lamented how hard it was to find a job in this country. The moping went on and on. By the end of the week, I felt like a sadness magnet.

I spoke to a colleague and she felt the same way I did. Apparently, she too felt like a grievance centre too. So, instead of writing an HR article this week, I have decided to write a "be happy" career advice letter. So, here goes:

A career advice letter:

Dear friend,

Let me assure you that your career will go nowhere if you are in a state of misery. Great leaders don't complain but proactively solve issues plaguing them. Thomas Edison, with his friends, watched his state-of-the-art factory destroyed by fire. Insurance only covered a small fraction of the cost. Instead of complaining how luck was never on his side, he rebuilt his factory within weeks. He saw the blaze not as a disaster but as a fantastic opportunity to redesign a better factory.

Edison smiled a lot. You, too, can start by smiling. People who smile more aren't just more stable and better at getting along with others they live longer too.

US researchers found that those who smiled most intensely lived longer than those who weren't smiling. The researchers, whose results hold even when corrected for other factors, claim the wider you grin and the deeper your laughter lines, the more likely you are to have a long existence.

On the flip side, pessimistic and negative people have more health issues. Studies reveal that pessimism is associated to mental problems, pains, chronic sicknesses and decreases in physical functioning.

Optimistic people have far better careers too. According to psychologist Elaine Fox, "optimists feel they have some control over what happens to them, tackling problems as temporary hitches rather than as ongoing difficulties."

So, cheer up and brighten up. That itself will increase your probability of success.

Career advice

Here are a few career tips for you:

1. Always smile. It's the best lesson you will learn in life. When I was working in a tough assignment at NBC (a TV and media company), I hated the job and was constantly complaining to my friends. The only upside was being based in New York City and having an office next to Conan O'Brien's studio so I got to meet lots of movie stars. But I was depressed about how "stupid" my job was. But my mentor gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. He said "just smile" and things will turn out better. So, everywhere I went and in whatever I did, I smiled. True enough, things turned around and I was given a bigger role. Smiles make a difference.

2. Take on the toughest and hardest jobs early on in your career. Tough jobs teach and accelerate you, pushing you out of your comfort zone. Don't jump for the easy, sexy jobs. You may end up having too much time with easy roles and may start complaining.

By taking on the job that no one wants, people will notice your bravery, excitement and determination. It will give you confidence that you can take on the world and be prepared for anything thrown to you. I hated the tough assignments in my first few roles. But I keep plugging along and ultimately was rewarded by tougher roles which helped me accelerate faster.

3. Keep learning. Each time I ask people if they love to learn, they all answer yes. What most people forget is that learning is very painful and tough. It requires hard work and practice. Try learning a new language or a new skill. It requires hours of focus, dedication and persistent practice. You can't be CEO instantly. You have to learn so many thing before making the grade to run an organisation. But learning requires sacrifice and time. Getting the big job involves hard work and learning.

Here comes the tough part. You want to move to a new role to learn more but your manager does not let you. Instead of getting upset with your boss, first answer these questions: Have you learned all there is to learn in your current role? Have you contributed as much as possible to your current role? Have you performed your role better than your predecessor? Have you left a significant legacy in your current role?

If you answered yes to all these questions, first wear a smile on your face and then let your manager know you are getting bored and need to move on. Usually, if you are truly an asset to the company, your manager will figure out how to give you a new role.

4. Don't be a victim to circumstances. Don't be taken hostage. Control your destiny or someone else will. Your career is your career. Your career does not belong to the head of HR or the CEO. You and you only will determine if you have a great life and career. Take responsibility for your life. So, don't hide under banner like "I have no talent" or "he is better than me". Those are just cop-out statements. You are ultimately accountable to yourself. And complaining is another way of escaping the reality of a situation. If your career is going nowhere, it is probably your fault. Sure, there may be other variables but you need to take charge and not play victim.

The good news for you

Instead of focusing on the negatives, focus on the good news all around you. Yes, there is good all around. Let me share with you three things that are going for you and your career right now:

1. You have gifts, strengths, talents, and interests that can take you and your career to incredible heights. In fact, some of your inherent capabilities probably aren't being fully utilised to help you in your career. So, look yourself in the mirror and repeat this statement to yourself "I am a genius" and go out there and use your gifts fully.

2. The greatest leaders have had the worst luck. Soichiro Honda had his factory blown up three times and lost everything but he still prevailed. Abraham Lincoln was a defeated man for many years but he ultimately received honour as a great leader. All great leaders go through horrible experiences. So, if you are having a horrid time, you can smile and bask in the knowledge that you are part of a group of greatness. And you will prevail.

3. Many successful people had bad grades. Richard Branson did not finish school. Neither did Albert Einstein. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs didn't finish university. In Asia, Lim Goh Tong, Robert Kwok and others never had great academic careers. So, if you were horrible at school, you can still be successful. And if you were a good student, don't worry. There are tons of examples of good students doing well too.

So, I would like to end this letter by asking you to do me a small favour. Imagine you are now in 2022. Ten years have passed since you read this letter. Now, imagine only positive things have taken place in your life. Describe these wonderful positive things that have happened to you. As you reflect on these wonderful positive experiences and see how everything you ever wanted has happened, I am sure you will start smiling and doing. Positive thoughts are meaningless if not accompanied by positive action. So, smile and do.

Yours positively,

Roshan Thiran

Roshan is the CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise whose goal is to help everyone smile continuously.

In Stolen, a father goes to extremes to save his daughter ... including pulling off a major heist.

SOMETIMES a criminal just can't get away from his past, no matter how hard he wants to change. This is exactly what Will Montgomery (Nicolas Cage) discovers upon his release after serving an eight-year sentence in the film Stolen.

Will is a master thief who was sent to prison for his part in a US$10mil (RM30mil) heist. Upon release, he vows to leave his criminal life behind and rebuild his relationship with his daughter Alison (Sami Gayle).

Unfortunately, there are some parties who have taken an interest in him and the loot. One such person is Will's old partner and friend Vincent (Josh Lucas). Desperate to get his hands on the money he thinks he fully deserves, Vincent kidnaps Alison with a ransom of – go ahead, take a guess at the number – US$10mil. Another man interested in Will and the money is FBI agent Tim Harlend (Danny Huston), who is equally convinced that Will has the money stashed somewhere.

Well, here's the rub – Will never had that money, but how do you tell your psycho partner that? And how exactly is Will going to raise that much money in such a short time in order to save his daughter – who is trapped in a soundproof taxi somewhere in the city? The only option he sees is to pull off another US$10mil heist.

For this film, Cage teams up with Simon West – the same director he worked with on Con Air (one of Cage's first action films back in 1997). For the 48-year-old actor, it was the chance to work with West again that made him sign up for Stolen.

In the movie's production notes provided by GSC Movies, Cage was quoted as saying: "I would say yes to Simon West on almost anything because I feel he is one of the best directors I've ever worked with, and I had a great experience working with him on Con Air."

He added: "He's a gentleman and he's an artist and he knows what he wants. He's supremely confident; he comes in and he sculpts, and then you have a new way of looking at the scene."

Although Stolen is categorised as an action film, West says it is one about relationship. He said: "It's really about the characters and how they interact. Even though it's got all the pyrotechnics and the roller coaster ride of an action movie."

After all, the bad guy here is none other than the protagonist's best friend. Lucas who portrays this role said: "Nic Cage and I play old great friends who have been doing this game together for a while, and in this process there's betrayal between the two of us and lives shift very badly and very intensively. After what goes down between his character and mine, we cut to eight years later where you have a character that's not only lost his mind but lost his dreams and is self-destructive on such a level that he is beyond damage."

In Stolen, the actor said he got the chance to play a multi-layer character. Also, it gave him a chance to share scenes with one of the actors he admired. Lucas shared: "Part of my whole joy of this film and the reason I wanted to do it was because anytime you get to work with an actor of Cage's calibre, you jump at that opportunity, and the reality is there are only a few actors on Earth who I'd put up in Cage's category. I mean, he's one of the true greats."

Another crucial person in the film is FBI agent Harlend who wants to solve this case and just close the file. For this role, West was looking for an actor who could put an eccentric twist to the character. "... not the usual boring FBI agent who is tracking these guys and immediately make people think, 'Oh, very staid kind of traditional cop.' I approached Danny and he loved the idea of playing this FBI agent and he had some great ideas. The main one was his hat – he tried on all these hats. And we picked one that became a major part of his character, this hat that he always wears.

"And so he has a very dry sense of humour. He is a very eccentric, quirky kind of FBI agent."

The rose among the thorns is Malin Akerman, who plays a bank robber and a friend of Cage's character. Actually, Akerman's character is the only one who is willing to help Will when he decides his only way out is to pull off a perfect heist.

West has been a fan of Akerman's work and wanted to work with the beautiful actress for some time now. He elaborated: "I always like to take people from one genre and put them in another, and so I thought it'd be great to try get someone like her, who can hold her own in a group of guys like hard talking bank robbers."

He added: "And she's very cute and very funny as well, and for her to interact with those tough guys I thought would be a great combination." – Mumtaj Begum

KUALA LUMPUR: Banking institutions were urged to be flexible to the young whose names are listed on Credit Tip-Off Sdn Bhd (CTOS) and Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS) to enable them to get housing loans.

Datuk Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu) suggested that the CTOS and CCRIS conditions should not be imposed on them.

"They might have made a wrong move in managing their finances at the outset, as a result their names are listed in CTOS and CCRIS and they are facing problems to secure housing loans. So, I propose the Finance Ministry and banks be flexible with them," he said.

"A house is an immobile property, not mobile property like a car or a motorcycle. It can also be used as collateral. So, if the applicant runs away, the bank can auction the house to recover the amount it lost," he said when debating the 2013 Supply Bill in the Dewan Rakyat.

Furthermore, Idris also suggested that the government introduce a ceiling price on high-end housing projects, specifically in urban areas, to control house prices and prevent speculation on property.

Idris also suggested that the real property gains tax period imposed be raised to 10 years from five to avoid resale of property in a short period of time.

KUALA LUMPUR: Six major roads in the city will be closed and traffic diverted in stages between 2 pm and 9 pm on Saturday in conjunction with the 'Nike We Run KL 10k 2012' run.

The roads are Jalan Ampang in the direction of Jalan Sultan Ismail (2 pm to 7 pm), Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH) (complete closure from 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm), Jalan Sultan Ismail in the direction of Jalan Kuching (closure of one lane from 4 pm to 7 pm), Jalan Kuching in the direction of Bulatan Dato' Onn (closure of one lane from 4 pm to 8 pm), Bulatan Dato' Onn in the direction of Jalan Parlimen (5 pm to 8 pm) and Jalan Parlimen in the direction of Bulatan Dato' Onn (4 pm to 9 pm).

The run organiser said in a statement Monday that Nike Malaysia would work closely with the police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel to ensure the safety of participants.

It said this year's 'Nike We Run KL 10k' race was expected to draw 15,000 runners.

The run is part of the global 'Nike We Run' series that sees nearly 400,000 runners from 34 countries taking part in this unique experience, which combines run and music.

The run will be flagged off at 5.30 pm at Jalan Ampang and will end at Padang Merbok. - Bernama

He said he neither lodged a police report that both he and the Government had been cheated by Dr Ling over the PKFZ land nor did any of his officers ever complain that there was any mistake, omission or material contradiction.

Asked by Dr Ling's lead counsel Wong Kian Kheong, Dr Mahathir, 87, who was Prime Minister between 1981 and 2003, said he was interviewed by police officer Supt R. Rajagopal twice.

"I remember that one of the three officers present during the recording of my statement said that if they had interviewed me earlier and heard my remarks, they would not (have) charged Dr Ling," he said, adding that he was only interviewed in late 2011 or early this year while Dr Ling was charged in July 2010.

The Finance Ministry, stressed Dr Mahathir, was also responsible for calculating the total cost of the land and the payment method as reflected in the extract of the Cabinet meeting in 2001.

Dr Mahathir also stressed that the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) came under the Finance Ministry's purview and that the Economic Planning Unit set the ceiling or budget for each project, adding that the ministry, as a whole, was the one in charge of the total cost of the land procurement.

He told the court that he was very aware of the project and that he had personally visited Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone International (which the PKFZ was modelled after) twice, adding that he wanted it implemented in Malaysia because he felt it was good for the port and the country.

"We (the Cabinet) were convinced that the project was very good and wanted to get the land as quickly as possible", he said, adding that he did not recall any minister making any serious objection against the project as they all felt keen on having it.

Questioned about the six letters he had received from turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, which contained the discussed land price of RM25 and the method of financing via deferred payment, Dr Mahathir said he had discussed this with his officers and none of them had ever informed him that the land price at RM25psf worth RM1.088bil involving a 15-year deferred payment did not comply with that by JPPH.

Dr Mahathir said that as Finance Minister and Special Functions Minister then, he was also not in favour of compulsory land acquisition, adding that normally the Government would only want to acquire land at low valuation.

"The valuation officers want to help the Government save money. Well, as a politician, I depend on popularity. I would not want to undervalue the land as this would not make me popular and my status depended on popularity," he said, prompting laughter in the courtroom.

If the price was fairly valued, he added, it would be all right but if it was undervalued, it would not be a popular move.

None of the ministers or his Finance Ministry officers, added Dr Mahathir, had complained to him that the content of a letter by Dr Ling, dated April 3, 2002, (over the proposal for land acquisition in the PKFZ development) had deceived both him and the Cabinet.

Asked about his understanding about the land price in 2002, he said: "If made in cash, no interest, but pay in over time, got interest. According to Appendix A, payment of 10% is cash while the rest is to be paid in 15 years."

Asked if the RM25psf had included interest, he said: "No, it cannot".

To a question if he had informed Supt Rajagopal that the RM25psf did not include interest, Dr Mahathir said he had indicated to him that "it would be more (interest would have to be added on) if it was to be paid over a long period of time."

"The price mentioned is the cash price. If over time, then we have to add faedah (interest)."

Dr Mahathir said he had also sent a letter to Dubai, saying that the Government was still interested in the PKFZ project although there were encumbrances on the land.

He also denied that the letter was sent at Dr Ling's behest, adding that he was "anxious to get the project".

Dr Ling is alleged to have deceived the Government by not revealing to the Cabinet an additional interest rate of 7.5% annually in the RM1.088bil (at RM25psf) purchase of the land for the PKFZ project at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya between Sept 25, 2002 and Nov 6, 2002.

He also claimed trial to two alternative charges of cheating, which carry a lesser penalty.

IN yet another food-inspired spoof of the wildly popular erotic trilogy Fifty Shades Of Grey comes a rather raw and carnal riff in a book called Fifty Shades Of Chicken.

Written under the pen name FL Fowler, the book parodies the passionate and naughty sexcapades of wealthy businessman Christian Grey and the young, naïve Anastasia Steele. Only in this case, a wealthy, young chef is the sexual dominator, while a raw organic bird, Miss Chicken the object of his "fowl" affections.

"I want you to see this. Then you'll know everything. It's a cookbook" reads an excerpt. "I want to prepare you, very much.

Like Steele, who starts out as an inexperienced college student, Miss Chicken goes from raw innocence to "golden brown ecstasy" and finds herself at the mercy of a domineering, wealthy, sexy and very hungry chef, reads the book description.

Recipes for "Dripping Thighs", "Sticky Chicken Fingers" and "Learning-To-Truss-You", are divided into three acts. "The Novice Bird" is for easy roasting, "Falling to Pieces" offers weeknight meal ideas, while "Advanced Techniques" is billed as the "climax" of cooking.

The author of Fifty Shades Of Chicken isn't the only one to capitalise on the international popularity of the bodice-ripping "Mommy Porn" as it's known.

In the United States, enterprising entrepreneurs are hosting Fifty Shades Of Grey-themed cooking classes creating R-rated dishes, while food websites are offering readers thematic menu ideas for dinner parties and intimate meals for two – or three or four.

Fifty Shades Of Chicken, published by Clarkson Potter, meanwhile, will be released on Nov 13. – Relaxnews